Colloidal Silver
History
Silver has been used as a medicine and preservative by many cultures throughout history. The
Greeks used silver vessels for water and other liquids to keep them fresh. Silver was used by the
Romans to preserve water in storage jars. During war campaigns Alexander the Great boiled and
stored water in silver or bronze urns to reduce waterborne disease.
Silver was used as a medicine in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Silver, along with other metals
was discovered to possess microbicidal properties but silver alone showed both strong
microbicidal properties and low or no toxicity to humans. The colloidal state proved to be the
most effective form because it lacked the caustic properties of salts (such as silver nitrate) and
demonstrated a high level of activity with very low concentrations (oligodynamic). In 1881 silver
nitrate was first used for the prevention of gonorrhea. In 1884, the German obstetrician F. Crede
administered 1% silver nitrate to the eyes of newborn infants, virtually eliminating the incidence
of disease-caused blindness in newborns. When antibiotics came into widespread use in the
1930s, the use of colloidal silver was dropped.
Today, colloidal silver is used in hospital and clinical settings as an antimicrobial agent for cuts
and burns, in some hospital water systems, and in dental amalgams. It continues to be used in
prevention of infection in the eyes of newborns. In Mexico, colloidal silver manufactured under
the trade name Microdyn, is sold through supermarkets and pharmacies for use in restaurants,
hotels, and homes to disinfect water for drinking or washing of food. Colloidal silver is also used
in water systems of boats and airplanes. In the last decade, daily consumption of water
containing small quantities of colloidal silver has become a popular alternative health treatment to
prevent and cure diseases. U.S. regulatory agencies say that these claims of businesses that make
colloidal silver, or sell home colloidal silver